Laird now "hopes to finish" volume 4
 

"I hope to someday return to finish up the story lines in Volume 4, but when that will be, I have no idea. I can only hope that when I get around to it, Jim Lawson will still be willing to draw it!"

http://peterlairdstmntblog.blogspot....l#comment-form

From a response on July 9th.

It seems like a minor thing, but saying "I hope to someday return to finish up" volume 4 is different than him saying, "Maybe I'll do it, but I doubt I will," as he's been saying for a few years. Maybe a small distinction, but it seems important.

Such a minor comment, and yet, it fills me with hope!!!

And I thought this was going to be a trolling post from you, Andrew. :tlol:

Also, his saying "when that will be" and not "if that will be." Overall this is much more positive about Vol. 4 than anything I've seen him post in years.

Absolutely agreed.

Sorta sounds like maybe he had a late-night inspiration and thought, "Yeah, I should do that in a few years."

I'm quite excited!

it would be nice. he can still do tmnt after a nice long break and do it his way. especially if the recent stuff isn't too his liking.

i didn't mind volume 4 all that much from what i can remember.

Thanks for sharing, Andrew. Pretty exciting.

I'm really not sure what the ending could possibly due to satisfy me, other than just be heartfelt and remain true to the characters. Maybe a Peter/Kevin eastman pin-up in the back?

Looking forward to further news.

1. Does he have an outline?
2. How many issues would it take to finish the story at a minimum?

If takes like one or two issues to wrap things up, I don't see why he couldn't finish it. If it takes more than that, who knows?

Just going off of previous Q&As over the years, it sounds like only in his head. But yeah.

Also posted on July 9:
http://peterlairdstmntblog.blogspot....14602621047037

lol, I was only 15 years old when Volume 4 started.

He has a rough outline in his head of where he wants to go and if I recall correctly, one of the times at shellback he said something about needing about 5 or 6 issues to wrap things up... He could probably condense things to a 5 issue run to finish but it would be rushed...

I'd love to see an conclusion but it won't be the same not having Shellback and making an event out of its release... Although Steve could always rent a hall or something or team up with Jetpack for the release.

I think to do it like, well, it would take a lot more than 5 or 6. Seems like a whole lot of dangling unfinished things, especially if he actually intends to flesh out the time between where it stopped and the future stories, but I suppose that's unlikely.

But hell yea that he's thinking about it at all.

Was this before or after he uploaded the latest two issues online? Because if so, it's closer to 3 issues, isn't it?

It has been so long now that most of us should have a hypothetical in our heads as to how it would turn out. Personally, I got tired of waiting awhile ago. Odyssey was enough of a conclusion for me.

He has a fascinating way of going about the conclusion. It feels like this perpetual tease of "Well I coullllllld finish it, I miiiiight finish it.....eh, I don't know if I actually want to. Maybe".
That's considering the fact that he could easily dish out an outline to Lawson, which would please both the fans, and Lawson I presume, while taking minimal effort from him, with the added benefit that people would finally stop asking him about Volume 4 and possibly direct their next "Ask P.L." questions towards his neglected Segway adventures.

In reality, it's probably just him being very careful with his choices, weighing his options, and not wanting to rush into anything that has us pestering him for answers on the daily. Maybe he just really wants to nail those last lines of dialogue and not rush himself. But it feels like a tease.

It was after 31 was done but before it was printed... So probably still 5 to 6 issues...

A neat way to end things would be a Mirage/IDW crossover... Lol.

Raph has been turned back to normal, Donnie is small sized still & Mikey is in space... Do two issues to resize Don, two for Mikey to come home, one for Leo to come back to Earth get his bros and go back to the Arena where we meet the IDW Turtles... Do it as implied IDW Turtles so that Laird doesn't have to write them or even draw them and have a Mirage/IDW six part mini... Vol 4 gets a torch passed moment while wrapping most threads and we can just know more happens before THE FUTURE Tales v2 stories happen... Issue one of the mini shows the tale start from IDWs POV, have Lawson write & draw the Mirage boys and Ben Bishop draw the IDW guys... Tell a cool Crisis of Infinite Turtles tale and wrap it up. Maybe Mirage Raph can lose an eye even...

What a dreadful idea.

It's sort of hard to imagine a proper ending for Mirage. Part of the appeal for me is the fact that there are so many mysteries and loose ends. Why was Donatello separated from his brothers in "Old Times", Did Mikey ever return from space?

On some level, I enjoy the mystery. I'm sure it's possible to retain what I find special and also provide a fitting "goodbye" from Mirage TMNT though.

Just don't make it so the whole story was simply a dream from the boy who lost the turtles down the sewer drain so many years ago.

You think anything thats not Mirage based is terrible... I really do too, but it would be a nice sendoff... We're old and we have had our time... lol

Now that would be a horrible idea... lol.